"He's not alive!" the host protested, before quipping sardonically that Shakur "lives on".
"Not alive, I know, I keep doing that," said Ms Harris.
The host tried to help her get through the stumble – I should note, this wasn't exactly a hard-nosed interview.
"Listen, West Coast girls think Tupac lives on. I'm with you," she said.
"I mean, who would I say … I mean, there's so many," Ms Harris said, still struggling to come up with a living rapper.
"There are some that I would not mention right now, because they should stay in their lane."
She then implored the host to "keep going, keep moving" to another question.
Most people who watched this clip likely assumed Ms Harris was pretending – badly – to like rap music, had a laugh at her expense, and then moved on with their lives.
The Trump campaign is still amused.
"I can confirm that we have left a ticket for Tupac Shakur, who as we know is Senator Harris's favourite rapper alive," senior campaign adviser Jason Miller told reporters on a conference call today ahead of the debate.
"I don't know if he shows up. I'm personally more of a Biggie fan if he's still alive, but we will have a ticket waiting for Mr Shakur."
In case, like Ms Harris, you are unaware, Tupac died in 1996 after a drive-by shooting. Biggie Smalls was shot dead the following year.
